Welcome to the fifth and final week of our fabulous New Year Celebration! We’ve explored ocean kingdoms, run from lava, played mini-games, taken a lovely VIP holiday, and now we’re invited to a party! And not just any party: this is a legendary, Lunar New Year party. The kind that sparks myths, delves into legend, and puts you into the shoes of a hero. So grab your invite, some fireworks, and a good pinch of courage as we dive through the doors of our final free adventure – Monster Attack: Nian by Next Studio*!
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- Written By
- Sophie Austin
- Published
- 1/17/23
New Year’s Celebration: Lunar New Year
Journey into legend in Monster Attack: Nian!
This epic adventure takes us on a mythical journey, all the way back to the origins of Lunar New Year. Playing as the legendary hero Nezha, you arrive at the party just in time to find – an empty village!? That can’t be right… I was always told parties need at least four people (or three people and a cat). As you explore, you realize that something bad must have happened. Where is everybody? And what are those enormous footprints? There’s only one creature they could belong to: Nian! This terrifying monster has razor-sharp horns and enormous fangs, is lightning fast, and will prove a very challenging foe! I asked Next Studio what the best part of creating Nian was (other than to terrify me!) and they said:
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Shawn from Next Studio"Nian is a creature of legend, and we had a lot of fun recreating the image and characteristics of this mythological beast from historical materials! We wanted to let players experience the legend for themselves, through Minecraft. This is our first adventure with cinematic storytelling, so we put more attention into the design of shots and creature movements, too!”
Surely if I am playing as Nezha, a mythological hero, I can just charge straight up to Nian and defeat it with an almighty thwack from my sword? When I mentioned this plan to Next Studio, they looked worried, and said:
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Shawn from Next Studio“Be careful, Nian is a very ferocious monster! If you can’t find Nian’s weakness then you’re going to be very badly injured. The Chinese have another name for Lunar New Year: "Guo Nian". Legend has it that in ancient times, at the stroke of midnight at the end of the year, Nian would attack villages, using the horns on its head as vicious weapons. If the villagers successfully drove Nian away then it would represent the arrival of a peaceful new year!”
My “charge in blind” strategy sounds foolish now. I’ll explore this incredible map instead, complete with beautiful temples, desolate villages, and peaceful pavilions, while trying and uncover some clues as to what Nian’s weaknesses could be! As you build your battle strategy against this legendary beast, you’ll face up to obstacles, solve tricky puzzles, work to gather clues from villagers, and more! There’s a good reason for this, too! Next Studio says:
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Shawn from Next Studio“Defeating the Nian is a story of people helping each other and using their wisdom to overcome difficulties. Faced with ferocious monsters ravaging the world, people were afraid but did they not back down. You need to do the same! Whether in mythology or in Minecraft adventures, people can always use their ingenuity to find solutions to their problems.”
Even if those problems are a terrifying, rampaging monster! Can you discover Nian’s weakness, and build a strategy to defeat it? Will you triumph and usher in a peaceful Lunar New Year? Find out in Monster Attack: Nian!* Available now in Minecraft Marketplace.
*Monster Attack: Nian requires the latest version of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (sold separately) with access to Minecraft Marketplace. Limit 1 per person/account.
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